Girls H.S. Softball: Crown Point 4, LaPorte 1 (Sectional Quarterfinal)

Monday, May 23, 2011 - 80-degrees, (4A) CP Sectional Quarterfinal at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Rachel Centanni (5-3) CG, 7K, 0 walks
LP - Meghan Bunch (10-6) 0K, 1 walk (5.3 inn.)

CROWN POINT (16-8)
Allison Amodeo (RF) 1-for-3, walk
Jessica Palm (SS) 0-for-2, sac bunt, walk, RBI
Raeanna Jenks (2B) 0-for-4
Allyson Rock (C) 0-for-4
Courtney Holm (LF) 2-for-4
Emily Zarate (1B) 2-for-4
Amanda Rock (3B) 0-for-2
Victoria Connelly (DH) 0-for-2, sac bunt
Gabby Raspopovich (CF) 0-for-3

LaPORTE (19-7)
Jessica Craft (CF) 1-for-3
Alexis Botsford (2B) 0-for-1, HBP, sac bunt
Skyler Kreamer (C) 1-for-3, double, RBI
Samantha Becker (3B) 0-for-3
Meghan Bunch (P-1B) 0-for-3
Hannah Fuller (1B-P) 0-for-3
Holly Buresh (LF) 0-for-2
Brynna Wolfenbarger (RF) 0-for-2
Addie Boardman (RF) 0-for-2

CROWN POINT (05-23-2011) Of course Crown Point people were concerned with facing LaPorte on opening night of the 2011 softball state tournament. Sure, CP had defeated LaPorte twice during the regular season. But CP had beaten the Slicers twice during the regular season last year, too, before a 5-4 loss to LaPorte in the sectional. So when CP began Monday night's playoff game making plays while LaPorte was making mistakes, it had to ease the minds of people watching the Lady Bulldogs.

The CP girls themselves? I don't know if they had a problem with bad memories. Four for the 10 CP starters Monday night were freshmen. Crown Point freshman Rachel Centanni pitched a two-hit complete game while LaPorte committed four errors and gave up four unearned runs. The Lady Bulldogs won on opening night 4-1.

"I've been asked a million times," said coach Brett Crutchfield after the win on an 80-degree Monday night. "I don't think last year had anything to do with it. There's no revenge or anything like that. That can't help you when you're out there."

LaPorte, which finished with a 9-5 record in the eight-team Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) just had a bad night. Slicer errors contributed to all Crown Point runs and eased the path for Centanni, who began the season as CP's top pitcher, lost that job to sophomore Siena Gyure, and then regained it.

"She came into the spring at the No. 1 pitcher," Crutchfield said of Centanni, his freshman right-hander. "She had some control trouble which is understandable. And she's pitched well lately. We had four freshmen in the starting lineup tonight. And the freshmen stepped up. We do have some 'impact' freshmen. They make it hard to take them out of the lineup."

CP went ahead 1-0 on a first inning passed ball before Courtney Holm's RBI single off losing pitcher Meghan Bunch. A dropped fly ball led to a third CP run in the second inning with Jessica Palm getting the RBI. Skyler Kreamer's RBI double cut the lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning, but another dropped fly ball allowed a fourth Crown Point run to score in the sixth.

"We played really good defense," Crutchfield said. "That's what you have to do to beat a good team like LaPorte."

SECTIONAL NOTES: There is rain scheduled for most of the sectional week, so Friday's 5:30 championship game could be pushed back to Saturday at 10 a.m. if necessary. Lowell coach Ginger Britton, an assistant coach at Crown Point for five seasons, was in the stands Monday to watch her old team. Britton, who graduated from Lowell 10 years ago, directed her team to an 8-1 win over Morton in a quarterfinal game of the Class 4A Sectional 1 playoffs at Highland.

Crown Point would host the regional on Tuesday night, May 31 if they win the CP Sectional. They would face the Sectional 1 champion.

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (16-8)	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	4	6	0
LaPORTE (19-7)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	4

Lady Bulldogs defeat LaPorte 4-1 in Sectional Opener